Improvement in musical tops



T. W. HARRISON.

Musical Top.

No. 20:,345. Pat e nted March 19, I878;

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS W.

HARRISON, OF BOSTON, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND HENRY R. PERKINS, OF NEWBURYPORT, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN MUSICAL TOPS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 201,34 5, dated March 19, 1878; application filed December 26,1877.

' To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS W. HARRISON,

of Boston, in the county of Sufl'olk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a Musical Spinning-Top, of which the following is afull, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which-- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a musical top constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the center of the same. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line at a: of 2.

A secured an elongated hub or sleeve, d, which turns freely on a shaft, 0, the bottom of which is provided with a pointed enlargement, f, on which the top spins, the upper end of this shaft having secured thereto a handle, h.

The body of the top is rotated on its shaft 0 by means of a cord wound around the hub d, and, when placed with the point f resting on a suitable surface, will maintain its upright position, and continue to revolve in a well-known manner.

The lower disk b has formed within it a series of curved passages, z, extending from or near the centerto 'the periphery of the disk, and communicating at their inner ends with a series of circular apertures, k, extending vertically through the body of the top.

Near the mouth of each passage z, and

reaching across it, is areed, 1, its edges fitting into vertical grooves formed in the walls of the passage, and these reeds, which may be of different tones. are sounded, when the top is spinning, by the air whichenters the pas; sagest' through] the apertures k, and is expelled at the periphery of the top by the centrifugal force produced by its revolution.

Instead of three passages t, each having a reed, the top may be provided with one or more passages, i, and the depth of the passage may be suflicient to admit of two reeds being placed one over the other. I

The reeds, instead of being confined in grooves, as shown, may be so applied to the body A as to admit of their ready removal from the outside in case they should become deranged and require to be replaced.

If preferred, the top may be provided with whistles instead of reeds, or with both; and the apertures for the admission of air may be formed either through the upper or lower disk, instead of through both, as shown and described.

What I claim as my inventiomand desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In amusical spinning-top, the body A, formed of two disks, a I), provided with air-passages and apertures i k, and with reeds I located within ,the former, in combination with the elongated hub or sleeve d and shaft 6, constructed and operating substantially in the manner and for thepurposeset forth.

Witness my hand this 19th day of December, A. D. 1877.

N. W. STEARNS, W. J. CAMBRIDGE. 

